Chapter 10 Special gift (1)

Alice looked at one of Katherine's self-edited performances, then glanced at the prince standing beside her. She knew that Katherine had successfully captured Nelson's attention. Because as soon as he heard the cry, he turned to see the image of a little girl sitting on the ground and the hand that was holding her hand had unconsciously let go.

Nelson was originally a man who was easily attracted to girls with a pure, lovely, and vulnerable appearance. Luckily for Katherine, she was a perfect fit for Nelson's standards, and besides, Alice looked a lot more mature today, which was more or less distracting to Nelson.

It was rather shameful.

"Are you okay? Don't let yourself get hurt!"

Katherine heard the prince asking her questions, she obediently shook her head.

"Katherine is fine, prince. Letting you see this ugly image of me, it makes me feel ashamed."

After saying that, he deliberately looked at Alice. But Alice didn't even give her a glance, even quirking lips in a mocking smile that made her angry but couldn't do anything about it.

'Just wait and see. Soon, your fiancé will hate your waxy face, Alice.'

Alice impatiently spoke up.

"I'm glad that you're still okay. So can we go inside now?"

Nelson turned to take Alice's small hand, but she purposely slipped her hands into the pockets of her dress. He was a little disappointed, but still wanting to be in contact with Alice he extended his elbow, asking Alice to hold on. The situation was quite amusing but Alice once again deliberately pretended not to see then went ahead.

He even thought that Alice must be jealous when he was interested in other girl. Satisfied in his heart.

Seeing Nelson pause, Alice asked:

"What's the matter, prince?"

Nelson smiled softly, ignoring the situation just now, and went inside with Alice.

This was both a horse training camp and a relatively large-scale racecourse, which was the favorite place of Prince Nelson. Because it was built right on the vast and beautiful M'Drak steppe. There were lakes and mountains, the scenery brought comfort and freedom.

On top of that, it was also only about 4 miles west of the setting sun and 6 miles from the mysterious and deadly forest Synther as it passed through the hunting ground. One of those places that Nelson has always wanted to delve into and discovered its mysteries.

The horses brought to this training place were not large in number, but they were all the best quality horses in the steppe, used to serve the royal army's cavalry teams participating in battle. In addition, there were also rare and unique horse breeds that were also taken care of here.

Of course, this place was only for the royal family and the royal army who were allowed to use, ordinary people or common nobles with money also had no right to set foot here.

Alice and Nelson sat down to rest, drank afternoon tea, and enjoyed cakes in the rest house area.

"I have something to give you, Alice."

Nelson waved his hand, and the servant brought up a small, hand-carved, scented wooden box that was the size of a hand. The edges were luxuriously pressed with gold. On the face were sculpted large lilies, the most prominent was an extremely beautiful and precious Opal stone placed in the middle. The surrounding four sides were also decorated with decorative gems in colors ranging from dark to fading.

"What is this, my prince?"

"I saw it on a trip to the town of Lentia to survey the terrain. Although the value is not too high, but because the scent and sound it produces are extremely attractive, I decided to buy it. Bring it back as a small gift for you."

When Alice heard the name of the town Lentia, she wanted to laugh. If it was the former, she probably wouldn't have known where it was and would never have cared about it. But not now.

The shabby house Alice and her mother used to live in is just on the edge of this town. That's why there were bastards who saw her and her mother as prostitutes and indulged in insults and curses. Terrible memories all took place and ended there. Just hearing its name made Alice feel disgusted.

The town of Lentia was famous for being one of the places where many beautiful and unique flowers were grown. But what made Lentia's name more noticeable was the quality of its prostitute service, with a strict and orderly management system. Although in this country, this kind of work was illegal and prohibited. However, this was using land under the management of sovereign Dukes Marcus Karlson. So this illegal business was well concealed and profitable. It was a favorite place for many aristocrats, and even boring royals often frequented it.

"Lentia town? Is it a town famous for flowers?"

Nelson was suddenly startled.

"Do you know that place? You... have been there before?"

Alice tilted her head against her chin, showing a beautiful smile:

"That place is quite popular with nobles. Not only are there vast flower fields, but the women of Lentia are also very beautiful. You have been there, do you feel the same as me?"

Nelson suddenly felt tense. These words... Were they merely compliments?

"Ha ha ha. It looks like you have been there before? That's right, not only are the flowers in Lentia beautiful, but the people in the town also seem radiant and beautiful, just like the flowers. I guess the influence as well as the reciprocal link between man and nature created such a peaceful like Lentia."

"It turned out that way. I was actually told by my old friend. Hearing you say that, maybe I'll try going there once in a while, right?"

Nelson silently let out a breath. His Alice was just a simple person, of course, it was easy to believe other people's words. But today she gave him a very strange feeling. Her composure, maturity, and unpredictable meaning in her words made him somewhat wary.

"I hope you'll like it."

The servant handed the beautiful box to Alice. She took it and looked at it. The faint scent made her a little excited.

Nelson said:

"The box is made of red sua wood, also known as Dalbergia tonkinensis Prain*. This precious wood is obtained from countries with tropical rainforests or monsoonal. Not only is the color beautiful, but it also has an intoxicating scent, making it a 'regal wood'. Especially when she looks at it under the sun, it will shine the color of the rainbow, making it extremely unique."

Alice also knew that this box was not as cheap as the prince had originally said. As one of the precious woods from faraway countries, there were also countless different gems attached to it.

This gift was a music box. She wasn't too impressed with it, but seeing her again now wouldn't mean she didn't know anything about it.

Different from other music boxes, it was entirely made of precious wood, and the sculptural pattern was meticulously detailed down to the tiniest of details in the smallest corners. Surely it must be an extremely talented sculptor to be able to make a product like this, so the value would definitely exceed other types of metal.

"It's just the outside, but it's so impressive and interesting, I'm curious to know what else inside it would surprise me."

Nelson raised his hand in an inviting gesture. Alice had just opened it. Inside was a glittering, multicolored diamond doll that whirled around with a clear sound that echoed throughout the area. The melodious music played on a certain piece of music that she did not know the name of until now.

Alice looked at the music box in her hand without changing her expression. She squeezed her hand a little, making her fingers turn white. She still remembers the day she was kicked out of the mansion. The prince himself had broken this box. Its clear sound was still resounding, but it was extremely lonely, cold, and scary for her.

Nelson saw that her expression was too cold and asked:

"What happen? You don't seem to like this gift very much. Although its value is not great, I certainly won't get a second one in this world."

Alice closed the music box, its sound giving her a headache.

"No, it is such a valuable gift. There's no way I wouldn't like it. It's just that I'm not in a good mood these days. The sound of it makes me feel a bit noisy. Thank you for giving me such a beautiful gift."

Nelson smiled wryly.

"Turned out to be so. Your health is still more important."

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* Dalbergia tonkinensis is one of the rare and precious woods with high economic value. Wood is heavy, hard, has a beautiful grain, and a special aroma. The vascular pores are of two sizes, dispersedly distributed, circular and semi-circular, with a reddish brown to yellow brown substance. Rays are small and narrow, arranged in layers. In longitudinal soft tissue cells, oxalate crystals are often present.